I have to be honest, I became a fan of Neck Deep‘s second album Life’s Not Out To Get You and then kinda just went off in a different direction and didn’t pay that much attention to them as they made a rapid rise to new age pop-punk kings. So as the release date for album number three The Peace and The Panic approaches, I decided to order some pizza and have a listen.
Opener Motion Sickness keeps in line with the Neck Deep we know from LNOTGY. It’s a good track to open with and sets up a positive start for the record. The clap-a-long and riff that opens Happy Judgement Day and upbeat sound contrasts the lyrics, although it works well. Latest single In Bloom begins with a spoken word news piece and I think this is one of the stand-out tracks. It’s catchy and the lyrics are honest.
Don’t Wait features guest vocals from Sam Carter of Architects. It’s a groovy track and the harsh screams from Sam compliment Ben’s melodic vocals. The opening of Critical Mistake is a voicemail which is interesting in itself, the track keeps to the same style as the rest of the album and lyrically is quite self-deprecating with talk of waiting to screw up and about mistakes in relationships. This is a track that I also think is a stand-out. Closing track Where Do We Go When We Go opens with gang vocals and discusses mortality. The chorus is pretty basic but is like an earworm that I’ve been singing since I first heard it.
The overall record is a more mature look at life in Neck Deep‘s camp and shows the development of the band as songwriters, musicians and individuals. It still has all the elements from LNOTGY but with added maturity. This is a cracking album and shows why the band are one of the best pop-punk bands around.